The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. It replaced the former York County in 1971, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of Golden Horseshoe. The regional seat is in Newmarket.

The 2006 census population was 892,712, of which 50,815 residents inhabited rural areas in the municipality, and 841,897 resided in urban areas. Its growth rate of 22.4% from 2001 to 2006 was the third highest amongst all census divisions in Canada, and the Government of Ontario expects its population to surpass 1.5 million residents by 2031.

REAL ESTATE IN YORK REGION

York Region has a great variety of real estate to choose from, including freehold townhomes, condominium townhouses, semis, detached houses and luxury homes.  For a list of available real estate click here

Geography

York Region covers 1,776 square kilometres from Lake Simcoe in the north to the city of Toronto in the south. Its eastern border is shared with Durham Region, to the west is Peel Region, and Simcoe County is to the northwest. A map of the region  showing its major roads and communities is available.

Towns and cities in York Region include:

• Town of Aurora
• Town of East Gwillimbury
• Town of Georgina
• Township of King
• Town of Markham
• Town of Newmarket
• Town of Richmond Hill
• City of Vaughan
• Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville

There is also one First Nation with an Indian reserve, where the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation reside.

York Region's landscape includes farmlands, wetlands and kettle lakes, the Oak Ridges Moraine and over 2,070 hectares of regional forest, in addition to the built-up areas of its municipalities.

Economy

The economy of York Region is a mix. In general, the economies in its southern communities include a full range of businesses from industrial to high-tech. Further north, beginning in the northern sections of Vaughan and Markham, extensive wetlands and farmland still remain, although new housing developments continually consume space year after year. There are ongoing conflicts between conservationists and developers over land use. Most contentious is the conflict use of the Oak Ridges Moraine.

 Shopping

Major shopping centres located in York Region include:

• Hillcrest Mall (Richmond Hill)
• Markville Shopping Centre (Markham)
• Pacific Mall (Markham)
• Market Village (Markham)
• The Promenade Shopping Centre (Vaughan)
• Upper Canada Mall (Newmarket)
• Vaughan Mills (Vaughan)
• Woodside Mall (Markham)
• First Markham Place (Markham)

 Transportation

The road network in York Region is remarkably 'grid-like', meaning most roads run north-south or east-west. The topography of the land has permitted roads to be set in predominantly straight lines. York Region assigned approximately 50 roads as York Regional Routes, meaning that the cost of maintaining of these roads is paid for by York Region.

The major highways in the Region are:

• Highway 7 (East-west)
• Highway 9 (East-west)
• Highway 11 (north-south)
• Highway 27 (north-south)
• Highway 48 (North-South)
• Highway 400 (North-South)
• Highway 404 (North-South)
• Highway 407 (East-west)
• Highway 427 (North-South)

 Air transportation

Most air travel is served by Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada's largest airport. Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport is a regional airport in Markham, used for general aviation and business aircraft. There are also a few unpaved airports serving the region. Hare Field is located in Holland Landing (East Gwillimbury) and Belhaven Airport is located in Georgina.

 Public transportation

Map of York Region and the municipalities it includes.

York Region is served by:

• York Region Transit (YRT), which also runs Viva (bus rapid transit)
• GO Transit, which offers bus and train services in the Greater Toronto Area
• Toronto Transit Commission, which has several bus routes which cross York's southern border, and which offer limited services in Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham.

Until 2001, the towns of York Region operated separate public transit services, which did not connect very well with each other. YRT was created by the Regional Government to combine five of these services:

• Vaughan Transit
• Markham Transit
• Richmond Hill Transit
• Aurora Transit - merged in 1999 with Newmarket Transit
• Newmarket Transit

Since 2001, bus routes have been extensively enhanced in the five communities which had pre-existing services, but YRT's services to East Gwillimbury is limited to two routes, and service to King, Georgina and Whitchurch-Stouffville are even more limited due to the relatively sparse populations in each of those towns.

 Education

Public schools, with classes up to grade 12, are administered by the York Region District School Board, which operates 180 schools. In addition, the York Catholic District School Board operates 95 schools with a curriculum based in Roman Catholic doctrine.

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology has three campuses located in York Region, in King, Markham and Newmarket. York University is located just outside of York Region's southern border, in Toronto.

In addition, there are many other religious and private schools located in the Region. These include:

• Academy for Gifted Children (Richmond Hill)
• The Country Day School (King City)
• Holy Trinity School (Richmond Hill)
• Leo Baeck Day School (Thornhill)
• Netivot HaTorah Day School (Thornhill)
• Pickering College (Newmarket)
• St. Andrew's College (Aurora)
• St. Thomas of Villanova College (King City)
• Town Centre Montessori Private School (Markham)

Attractions

York Region has an unusual assortment of points of interest, ranging from nature reserves to pioneer-era museums, to a modern amusement park.

In Vaughan, the major attractions include the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, located in the community of Kleinburg and features works by Canadian artists including Inuit and First Nations artists. Canada's Wonderland, which features roller coasters and other rides, concerts and fireworks shows, is also in Vaughan.

Heritage sites and historical museums in the Region include:

• Aurora Museum (Aurora)
• Georgina Village Museum (Georgina)
• King Township Museum (King)
• Markham Museum (Markham)
• RHLS Narrow Gauge Railway (Whitchurch-Stouffville)^[2]
• Sharon Temple (East Gwillimbury)
• Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum (Whitchurch-Stouffville)^[3]
• York-Durham Heritage Railway (Whitchurch-Stouffville)^[4]

Following is a sample of other attractions in the area:

• Applewood Farm Winery (Whitchurch-Stouffville)^[5]
• Canadian Heritage Humber River
• Fred Varley Art Gallery (Markham)
• Oak Ridges Trail
• Puck's Farm (King)
• Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
• Sutton-Zephyr Trail
• Willow Springs Winery (Whitchurch-Stouffville)^[6]
• Words Alive Literary Festival (East Gwillimbury)
• York Demonstration Forest (Whitchurch-Stouffville)

 Protected areas

• Baker Sugarbush Conservation Area
• Boyd Conservation Area
• Bruce's Mill Conservation Area
• Duclos Point Provincial Nature Reserve
• Gold Creek Conservation Area
• Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve
• Kortright Centre for Conservation
• Lake St. George Conservation Area
• Mabel Davis Conservation Area
• Milne Park
• Pickering Lands Preservation Site
• Rogers Reservoir Conservation Area
• Sheppards Bush Conservation Area
• Sibbald Point Provincial Park
• Thornton Bales King Conservation Area
• Wesley Brooks Memorial Conservation Area
• Whitchurch Conservation Area
• Willow Beach Conservation Area

Demographics

The Regional Municipality of York is one of the fastest growing census divisions in Canada; from 2001 to 2006, its population increased by 22.4%. The 2009 mid-year population estimate by Statistics Canada was 1,016,379 residents^. It is the third-largest census division in Ontario, next to that of Toronto and Peel Region, and seventh-largest in Canada. Its population density of 506.7 residents per square kilometre is 11th highest in Canada.

According to the Canada 2006 Census

• Population:
  • in 2006: 892,712
  • in 2001: 729,254
  • change: +22.4%
• Land area (square km) 1,761.64
• Total private dwellings: 287,320
• Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 275,673

According to the Canada 2001 Census

• • Average value of dwelling: $298,018
• First languages:
  • English: 59%
  • French: 1%
  • Other languages: 40%
• Visible minority groups:
  • Chinese: 13.9%
  • South Asian: 6.5%
  • Visible minority population: 30%
• Median total income of persons 15 years of age and over: $28,566